Sayaka's eyes wandered while Greff carefully wrapped her new Spiritual Blade. The glow of the shop was dim now, catching the gleam of the weapon racks, glinting off hilts and edges as if they whispered stories of old.
And then she saw them.
Two blades, encased in thick reinforced glass, mounted on obsidian pedestals at the back of the shop — apart from the others. The aura around them was different. The air felt heavier. Her feet moved on their own.
Why do I feel like they're calling to me...?
Elara and Greff didn't notice at first. Sayaka stood in front of the glass, eyes locked on the swords.
The first: The Dragon's Breath.
Its blade shimmered in reddish-black, veins of molten gold pulsing like it breathed. The hilt was shaped like a snarling dragon's face, crimson gems for eyes.
It didn't feel forged. It felt alive.
The second: The Sunforged Blade.
It glowed with a warm brilliance, its edge impossible to look at directly. Light shimmered off it like the morning sun breaking through storm clouds. Unlike Dragon's Breath, this one felt... pure.
These... These aren't just swords. They're... something else.
"Oi, girl!" Greff called, finally catching her standing frozen. "That section's off-limits."
Sayaka turned, hesitant. "What are these two? They feel... different."
Greff sighed, walking over, wiping his hands with a cloth.
"Yeah, they are different. Those aren't just weapons. They're relics.Even used by Legends"
He tapped the glass gently with his thick fingers.
"This here's The Dragon's Breath — a relic of the Flame Wars and The Legendary Dragon which can use any type of Element. Last wielded... over five thousand years ago by the Legendary Hero of that time. It channels the power of dragons themselves. Fire, frost, wind... but it's wild. It devours its user if they ain't ready."
Sayaka's throat tightened.
Five thousand years... no one's used it since?!
"And that," Greff nodded to the golden one, "is The Sunforged Blade. Forged from concentrated sunlight, they say. It burns brighter when the wielder fights with righteousness in their heart. Easier to handle. But still chooses its master."
Sayaka stared between the two. Her fingers twitched.
"Can I... try?" she asked, unsure. "The Sunforged Blade, I mean."
Greff blinked. Then shrugged. "Sure. It won't budge unless it wants you."
Elara stayed silent, her arms folded but her eyes sharp.
Greff removed the safety rune, stepped back, and motioned. "Go ahead."
Sayaka took a deep breath and reached for the Sunforged Blade.
The moment her hand touched the hilt, a searing light burst outward — like the blade rejected her existence. With a sudden blast of heat and force—
BOOM!
She was flung backward into a pile of empty crates.
"Sayaka!" Elara shouted.
Sayaka groaned, coughing, hair tossed about.
Wh-What the hell was that?! It just... threw me!
It didn't even hesitate.
Greff shook his head. "Thought so. It ain't about being strong, girl. It's about being... righteous. That blade knows the truth in your heart. Maybe not the right one for you."
Sayaka sat up slowly, eyes narrowing.
Her gaze drifted back... to The Dragon's Breath.
The red-and-black blade looked untouched. Silent. Waiting.
Five thousand years... Never wielded.
Everyone's scared of it... That's why no one tries, right?
"I want to try that one," Sayaka said quietly.
"What?!" Greff's face scrunched. "Sayaka, that blade ain't a toy. That thing weighs five hundred thousand tons magically kept in place. You touch it, you're likely to snap your arm off."
"She's serious," Elara said under her breath.
Sayaka stood, her body sore but something inside her... burning.
She stepped toward the pedestal. Her hand hovered inches above the dragon's hilt.
I don't have magic.
I don't know who I really am.
But I am here. I've survived everything thrown at me. I'm still standing.
Her fingers touched the hilt.
For a breathless moment, nothing happened.
Then — a sound. A deep, ancient rumble.
The glass cracked and shattered outward.
The ground shook beneath her.
W-What's happening—?
Greff's eyes were bulging. "That... That can't be...!"
The Dragon's Breath lifted from its pedestal without resistance.
Sayaka stood there, holding it, her eyes wide — but her hands steady.
The blade pulsed. Warm. Familiar.Glowing with Divine Energy.
Alive.
The dragon face at the hilt shimmered — not angry, not violent.
Just... watching.
"Impossible," Greff whispered. "It hasn't moved... in five thousand years."
Sayaka wasn't smiling. She wasn't crying either. She simply stared at the blade in her hands.
Why... did it choose me?
What are you trying to show me...?
Elara approached slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"That blade has been waiting... for someone. Maybe it knew you long before you came here."
The weight of the sword didn't press on Sayaka's arms. It felt... natural. Like it had always been hers.
I'm scared... but this blade isn't.
Maybe... just maybe... I really do belong here or not.